Tales of a New Generation
by MegaFanaticFangirl104201
Summary: Marshall Lee returns to the Land of Aaa years after Fionna's death. He meets Gumball's granddaughter, and they become friends. Different events and adventures await the pair. A/N: Each "episode" is about three to four parts, all of which I crammed into one document.
1. Prologue

Marshall Lee felt numb, like his body was made of ice and he couldn't move anything but his eyes, but he chose to keep his gaze locked on the grave._ Her_ grave. Fionna's. The great heroine of the Land of Aaa, the adventuress who had slain the monsters that disrupted peace in the land, the girl who had been his best friend, and to him, more than a best friend...she was dead. In a coffin and buried underneath the ground. A lifeless body, withered with age.

It wasn't his fault, really, that she had died. She was a mortal, she was bound to go away sooner or later. Like all of them. But then, she wasn't just like them; to him she was special, to him she was more than the last human. He had...well, feelings for her. But he didn't really think she liked him back. Her boyfriend back when she was a teen was Flame Prince, after she got over her crush on Prince Gumball.

"Marshall, are you okay?"

The vampire blinked to see the candy prince's worried expression. He hadn't noticed that he was holding his umbrella so tight that it was about to snap, and that his eyes were blank and hollow, and he wasn't floating as usual anymore. _Of course I'm not okay, you dimwit. Try having the only person who made life worth living for you die,_ he wanted to snap. But instead, he answered quietly, "I'm not." It felt like all the enthusiasm and happiness that he had ever felt had died along with her.

As Gumball walked away with Peppermint Maid, Marshall Lee realized that the funeral had long since finished. He was the only one left. It was sunset, but insttead of enjoying the red and orange and pink rays of the setting sun that streaked across the sky, he remembered all those sunsets he had shared with her, and his chest felt tight, really tight.

He knew it wasn't going to go away for a long time, maybe it would stay there forever.

And that day he found out how much he despised himself for being a vampire, an immortal, a creature of the night. When she was still alive, he told himself not to fall in love, but he did. And now it all ended to this. There isn't such thing as a happy ending. If he wasn't immortal, he probably would have told her those three little words, that simple sentence that hadn't ever left his mouth in centuries. But then, he decided, it might have been worse if she did like him back and then she would go away forever.

So a few days later he decided to go back to the Nightosphere. There wasn't anything in Aaa that would make it worth living there anyway. Maybe he would try to rule it, but at the last minute he decided not to. Fionna wouldn't like to see her best friend turn into an evil dictator of the land of the demons, right? Even though she wasn't there, he still wanted to please her. Or her spirit, or whatever.

He had expected that the first words that would slip out of his mother's mouth was, "I told you so." But it hadn't. When he came back, his mother greeted him warmly, and the sympathy that filled her eyes...well, he had rarely seen it. "I know how it feels, Marshall," she whispered, and he knew she was talking about his father; no one had seen him since the Great Mushroom War. Marshall Lee barely remembered him.

And as he unpacked in his bedroom, he realized he would be stuck here for eternity, forever, because there wouldn't be anything to keep him in Aaa, so he might as well stay in the Nightosphere. And he didn't come back.

Or, at least, not until about a century later.

* * *

_The new prologue, as I said I would write. Does changes in chapters show up? Idk. _

~AdventureTime104201


	2. Acquaintance I: The Candy Princess

The ten-year-old princess huffed under the weight of the heavy tomes that she carried. With a thud, they were placed on the counter.

"More History books, Princess Taffy?" Turtle Prince asked slowly.

Taffy nodded. "I found something interesting in some of these books, and I wanna take them home, please."

At that moment, the door opened and a tall, young man with a black umbrella walked in. His dark eyes scanned the room, as if searching for something. But when he saw Taffy, he flinched, eyes narrowing slightly.

The princess fidgeted, feeling uncomfortable. "I'm going to read more on Fionna the Hero," she said hastily. "Bye, Turtle Prince. See you tomorrow." She headed towards the door, walking a bit quicker than usual.

But the man blocked her way. Not actually, but instead he stepped slowly-almost hesitantly-in beside the door. And, instead of what she had expected him to do, he only spoke quietly. "I knew Fionna."

Both Turtle Prince and Taffy seemed to be taken aback. But then the fear that had once very obviously shown through her thick eyeglasses dissolved into nothing but childlike excitement and curiosity. "You did, for real?" the princess asked. She clutched her thick books tightly, and now he noticed that on the front of the first book, written in fading gold letters was, "A Biography of Fionna the Human".

The man nodded. "We were..." he paused. "...best friends, both of us." Hurt and pain seemed to flash through his dark eyes and he stuck his pale hands deep into his pockets.

Taffy stepped forward, staring him up and down. "Best friends? But she died eighty years ago. Grandfather Gumball said so," she insisted. Her voice was uncertain.

"Gumball?" The man said the word as if it felt strange and alien in his mouth. "I knew him too." Another ache in his chest. Even though Gumball was a bit annoying to him, they were still friends, although they had their fights.

Taffy gathered her books and took his hand. "Let's go to the Candy Kingdom!" she suggested brightly. "Grandfather's still there, and I'm sure he still knows you, if you guys were friends before." She led him out the door, and he couldn't do anything but follow.

He opened his umbrella and Taffy gave him a strange look. "It's not that hot," she said. "It's just a normal sunny day." She looked up at the sky as if to confirm what she had just said.

The man shrugged indifferently.

The walk to the Candy Kingdom was only five minutes. The man gazed all around him, as if trying to absorb the whole place. The marzipan sidewalks, the gingerbread houses, the hard candy rocks, the sugar frosted windowpanes, the licorice and candy flowers, and the candy people that strolled along cheerfully, quite the opposite of the expression on the dark-haired man's face.

And, Taffy decided, he was awfully quiet. The only time he spoke was in the library. Taffy felt even more uncomfortable, but led him to the Candy Castle anyway. It was tall, the highest tower encircled in clouds of pale yellow cotton candy. Two objects that looked like gumball machines stood by either side, blowing bubbles.

A little starlight mint in a maid's outfit met them on the long staircase that led to Gumball's bedroom. "A visitor, Princess Taffy?" Her voice was high. She inspected the man very closely, but she let them continue on the way up. "And do remember to keep quiet in his bedroom," she added, gesturing to the door lined with candy cane. Gumball's bedroom.

Quietly as she could, Taffy opened the bedroom door and motioned for her companion to come in. "Good afternoon, Grandfather," she greeted the old man sitting up in the bed.

Gumball's face brightened instantly, the wrinkles on his face decreasing as she smiled at his young granddaughter. But then he saw the young man by the door. His voice came out in a quiet, shaking whisper. "Marshall Lee?" 

* * *

_Told you it'd be longer. _

_I guess you guys knew it was Marshall Lee from the start. Obviously. Anyway, Gumball is like, I dunno eighty or something. Basically he's an old guy by now. And he had a son (I dunno who his wife was; don't ask) and his son had Taffy. I suck at names :derp:  
I took ten minutes editing the story a second time. _

~AdventureTime104201


	3. Acquaintance II: Gumball

Marshall Lee raised an eyebrow. He was still by the door, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He stared at Gumball.

"Been a while," Gumball said. "About sixty years."

Taffy stood up and headed towards the door. Private conversation ahead, she thought. She turned the doorknob and looked at the grandfather, who nodded. She left, being the obedient little princess she was. Still, she was curious. She pressed her ear to the door quietly as she could. There weren't any glasses nearby.

"You went to the Night-o-sphere, didn't you?" Gumball asked.

"None of your business, Pinky," Marshall Lee muttered.

The old man stared him right in the eyes. "It was Fionna, wasn't it?" He needn't an answer. "You couldn't bear to see her go. You loved her and you still do now." Gumball shot the vampire a look. "You hate yourself for being a vampire."

From outside, Taffy flinched. Vampire? Then why wasn't her grandfather panicking or something? Oh, wait. They knew each other-Gumball was probably used to him by now. And Marshall Lee could maybe-maybe-control himself around blood. Yes, that's it, Taffy assured herself.

"You don't know how it feels," Marshall Lee replied, his voice deathly quiet. "You live, the people you care about die, and the only thing you can do is watch. Happens every single time."

"Fionna was special. You've lost your mean streak and you're more quiet."

The vampire glared.

Deciding to change the subject, Gumball now said, "Are you staying here in Aaa?"

Marshall Lee didn't answer, but merely shrugged his shoulders. Going back to the Night-o-sphere wouldn't be fun, with his mother nagging him to rule the land. A memory of Fionna battling his mother in the Night-o-sphere flashed in his mind, and he shook his head, trying to wipe it away.

"Your house is still intact here in Aaa," Gumball reminded him. And so is Fionna's tree house, he added to himself.

Marshall Lee simply grabbed his umbrella and walked away from the castle. So it was still there, that little old house of his where Fionna and Cake used to..._Snap out of it, Marshall Lee,_ he told himself angrily.

"I want to talk to you, Taffy," Gumball called from his bed.

Taffy went inside and sat by her grandfather's bed. She leaned in close as he began to whisper in her ear.

**o~O~o**

This was the first time she'd seen his house. It was small and purple, standing on stilts in a little lake inside a cave. She knocked on his door thrice, only to be greeted with, "What do you want?"

A 'hello' would be nice, she mused. But instead she said, "I've got something to show you." She didn't wait for his answer. Taffy marched inside, took his umbrella, and tied a blindfold over his eyes. "This was Grandfather's idea." She took him by the hand and led him to the place where her grandfather told her to.

Marshall Lee frowned. Gumball wasn't dishonest or anything bad, but then since she died it felt as if he couldn't trust anyone, could be friends with anyone because then he'd lose them all over again. He had to keep this friendship, if it ever become one, to a minimum. Still, he let her take him to that place.

After the long walk, she stopped and so did he. "I hope you like it," she said, untying the blindfold.

It was Fionna and Cake's tree fort.

* * *

_Here ya have it, chapter 2. I don't think I'll be able to update this week, because, you know, EXAMS urggh. Have to study. Plus Lynn's birthday is coming up on Thursday. Idk what to give her, and I can't really buy anything that has One Direction (her super obsession). Their magazine was out a few months ago but I didn't buy it OTL. I'm just gonna go watch that vid with Zayn Malik dancing Teach me How To Dougie. It's really messed up, and hilarious. We almost fell out of our chairs laughing._

~AdventureTime104201


	4. Acquaintance III: Fort Memories

It was still intact, after almost a century of neglect. Marshall Lee walked over to the door and opened it slowly. It was the same...the same as he'd seen before.

Piles of treasure were dumped around in the living room; gold, jewels, swords, junk, some crowns. But a layer of dust covered everything, there were cobwebs in every corner. All those years left the tree fort dusty, but aside from that, everything was fine.

Taffy followed him as he went room to room, relieving all those memories. Their couch sat in the middle of the living room, like always.

_"I'm Marshall Lee, the Vampire King," he says, sitting down on the sofa and putting his arms around the two._

_"A-are you gonna smash our skulls and breathe in our blood mist?" Cake meows, her fur bristled in every direction._

_"Calm down, weenies, I'm not gonna do that."_

_Fionna narrowed her eyes. "So...you don't suck blood?"_

_"Sometimes I do," he replies. "But it's not the blood that I like; it's the color."_

Marshall Lee stiffened. No, he didn't want to remember. He'd had enough, he didn't want to find himself wanting to repeat those times with her again. He swiveled around, and proceeded to float to their bedroom, with Taffy climbing in after him.

He looked around at the familiar scene, remembering when he'd sneak in when Cake was away so they could have a jam session. The thick furs on her bed were still there, and so was the closet that Cake used to sleep in. Picture frames were still on the wall. And her sword was propped up by the bed, the one with the silver blade and its handle a twisted root. Her family sword was buried with her. Whether it was inside the coffin or not, he didn't know, because he only watched her funeral from a treetop. It hurt him too much.

The wooden floors creaked with every step they took, and Taffy hated it-the fact that he almost never spoke was awkward enough already.

Suddenly a rather hairy spider decided to drop from its web at that very moment, and landed on her arm. She yelped, but clapped her hand over her mouth at once, and in the process hit a bookshelf. Its contents came falling down, but thankfully there was a carpet, so the crash wasn't loud. The spider scuttled away hurriedly into a dark crevice on the wall.

Marshall Lee turned around. A heap of books were on the floor. He went to help Taffy put it back into place when an open book caught his attention. It was filled with messy handwriting. Fionna's.

No, he should be snooping.

"Darn it." Curiosity got him and he picked it up. On the very bottom of the page where it had opened, a sentence had been scratched out. Still, he could make out what was written:

"I love him."

Taffy titled her head to the side at the weird expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He had a little smile on his face now as he closed the book and put it back on the shelf. Those little words kind of brightened his day, and, maybe, his life. "You know what, kid? You're not that bad. Friends?"

Taffy blinked at him, and finally they bumped fists. "Friends."

She liked him better now.

* * *

_It was pretty hard writing this with Red messaging me every two seconds. So I kinda ignored him, typed this out in a hurry, and went back. Y U SO ANNOYING, BRO? Speaking of memes, I want a meme t-shirt so badly! Urgh why didn't I buy the one I saw?_

~AdventureTime104201


	5. Finally Friends I: Three Years Later

"Marshall Lee, give it back!"

The vampire grinned, dangling the tiara from his finger. "Not if you say please."

Taffy rolled her eyes. "Please," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. Marshall Lee plopped it down on her head and it tilted to the side, but she fixed it. "I'm going to get into big trouble if anything happens to this thing."

"Marzipan probably won't even notice," he joked. "Since last week, he's got the whole kingdom working hard for your birthday." Marshall Lee chuckled, turning his head so he could look out the window. The streets were lined with decorations made of candy and everything was looking festive and cheery. Sweet-smelling aroma wafted from the open windows of the Candy Bakery and the rest of the kingdom were getting ready for the all-night celebration.

The princess plopped down on her bed. "I'd rather they wouldn't make such a big fuss about it," she sighed. "I mean, yeah, I love Dad and he's putting a lot of effort into this, but I'm perfectly content in a piece of cake and a nice thick book, that's all." She took of her glasses and wiped the lenses before putting them back on.

Marshall Lee shoved his hands into his pockets and did a somersault in the air. "You wanna go to the Marshmallowy Meadows?"

"Nah...but I'd like to visit Ember."

"Okay," he replied with a casual shrug. "Whoever she is."

"She's the princess of the Fire Kingdom, duh." Taffy sat up and headed towards the door. She walked out after bidding him goodbye, leaving him alone in her room. Marshall Lee took his umbrella and flew out of the window towards his house. A little half-smile spread across his face as he looked back to catch a glimpse of the Candy Kingdom. "_I have a best friend again_." Taffy wasn't Fionna, sure, but still, he had a friend again, he had someone to talk to. And his days were a little brighter again than it was three years ago before he met her. And Marzipan, Taffy's father, wasn't that all as prim as Marshall Lee assumed he would be, being Gumball's sort-of son. Marzipan was, really, and experiment brought to life my Gumball, but still everyone considered him his real son, now the King of the Candy Kingdom.

He floated into his kitchen and took a bowl of strawberries from the fridge, freshly picked yesterday. No sooner had he drained the first one of its bright red color, someone knocked on the door. Marshall Lee popped the slightly dry strawberry into his mouth and went to answer the door.

Peppermint Maid was at his doorstep, looking flustered. "Marshall Lee?" she inquired, looking him up and down like she hadn't noticed he always came to the Candy Castle.

"Yes?"

"It's an emergency. Something went wrong with the royal orchestra-some of them have the flu, and King Marzipan asked me to ask you if you could be the one to sing at Princess Taffy's birthday."

"What?!"

The starlight mint nodded curtly. "Please do! The king's practically gone crazy. You know how he is when planning the princess's birthdays," she sighed. "Sometimes, he even drives me nuts too." She left after a quick goodbye.

Marshall Lee closed the door and went back to the kitchen. "A song!" he exclaimed, causing Schwabelle jump up. "How am I supposed to make up a song in two days?" _And I haven't sang in about eighty years_, he added to himself. But just for the Candy King's sanity, he'd do it. He knew how much Marzipan loved his daughter.

"Maybe I have some lyrics upstairs." He floated up to his room. Under his bed was little box that he filled with scrap song lyrics, unfinished or not. He dumped all its contents onto his bed, as if it wasn't messy enough already, and searched through the dump. His hand brushed a piece of paper and he glanced at it. "_Fionna_", was written across the front of the folded paper and he hesitated to touch it. He remembered it. He was supposed to sing it, he wanted to sing it for her, but still he didn't. Not a single note. He'd been to shy, he never knew she felt the same way about him too, not until she was already gone.

He flinched away from it and continued to look.

At last he came upon a little crumpled ball and unfolding it, he smiled. "Perfect!" He studied it and fixed it a little here and there, and afterwards, reached over to the nightstand and dialed a few numbers on his phone.

"Hey, guys, I kinda need your help..."

* * *

_This is almost three years later after they they met. Taffy is going to turn thirteen in two days. A hint to the song: it's One Direction XPP  
Speaking of One Direction, red and I had a conversation earlier and he mentioned that Zayn Malik's hair looked like ice cream. It kind of led me to talk about how I saw a pig pooping when I was seven, and said it looked like an ice cream machine because it was all swirly and...never mind. Just know that any little thing can made me go crazy and weird._

_As a side note, Taffy's parents are just Gumball's experiments. In a way you can say her aunt may be female Lemongrab...I wonder what to call her. _

~AdventureTime104201


	6. Finally Friends II: Happy Birthday

There was a loud twang as the string on Allison's guitar snapped. She went to rummage in her bag for an extra. "Darn it," she muttered when she realized she had forgotten to bring some. "Marshall, do you have an extra string?"

He handed her one, scanning the room that his friends occupied. Two of them were boys, Brad and Alistair, who was Allison's older brother (and they were his cousins). The other one was Allison, of course. All demons from the Night-o-sphere, although Alistair was more of a vampire than a demon, since his mom was a vampire and his dad was a demon. Allison got more of the demon side.

It was seven at night, their last practice before going to the Candy Kingdom.

"Hey Marsh," Brad suddenly said. "Where's your crush? Ya know, the girl who got stuck in the Night-o-sphere once. The one with blonde hair and the bunny hat."

Allison reached over and gave him a whack on the back. Her crimson eyes widened and whispered, "You idiot, you know Marshall doesn't like talking about it, cause you-know-what happened."

"Oops," Brad muttered guiltily, going back to his drums.

One the other side of the room, Marshall Lee grew quiet. He heard it perfectly well, having sharp ears, but still, he pretended not to notice. Peppermint Maid knocked on the door and Marshall Lee let her in. "You finished practicing?" she asked. "We'll have the instruments delivered to the Candy Kingdom. Your performance is at ten and you can enjoy the party before that."

**o~O~o**

The party was way more than Marshall Lee had expected. It wasn't all pink and cutesy, not like what he had though Marzipan would make.

Loud music blasted from speakers and everyone was dancing or eating and laughing. The kingdom was festive. The buffet table was piled with desserts and sweets, ranging from sandwiches to parfaits, ham to mousse, and a three-foot tall chocolate fountain.

Alistair whistled lowly. "This Marzipan guy's outdone himself," he commented, grabbing a red-velvet cupcake and draining it of its color.

Marshall Lee nodded, scanning the place for Taffy. She was by the side, looking for something. Finally she spotted him and smiled.

She looked pretty. She was wearing a pale blue dress, maybe a version of her usual outfit only it wasn't lavender, and the skirt was a bit shorter and she was

wearing heels instead of her purple flats. Fionna wouldn't ever wear heels, and it looked like Taffy didn't like them either. Her hair was the same-Marshall Lee guessed she'd refused to let Peppermint Maid curl it or style it.

His friends had scattered around, and, surprisingly, nobody was as scared as he expected them to be. After all, his friends were from the Night-o-sphere. The land of the devils.

The huge clock in one of the Candy Kingdom's towers-made by Marzipan himself-chimed loudly ten times. Everyone noticed this, and looked up at the clock. It was ten o'clock. Peppermint Maid arrived to usher them up the stage.

The five walked up to the big stage set up in the middle. Their instruments were already assembled; Brad's drums, the guitars, the microphones, and Alistair's keyboard. Marshall Lee had brought his axe bass along by himself. The crowd waited for the music, and cheered and resumed dancing as the band began to play.

_Hey girl I'm waiting on yah, I'm waiting on yah. _  
_Come on and let me sneak you out. _  
_And have a celebration, a celebration. _  
_The music up the window's down. _

_Yeah, we'll be doing what we do. _  
_Just pretending that were cool. _  
_And we know it too (know it too). _  
_Yeah, we'll keep doing what we do. _  
_Just pretending that were cool so tonight. _

_Lets go crazy, crazy, crazy till we see the sun. _  
_I know we've only met but lets pretend it's love. _  
_And never, never, never stop for anyone. _  
_Tonight lets get some. _  
_And live while were young. _  
_Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh _  
_Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh _  
_And live while were young. _  
_Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh _  
_Tonight lets get some, _

_And live while were young. _

_Hey girl it's now or never, it's now or never. _  
_Don't over-think just let it go. _  
_And if we get together, yeah get together. _  
_Don't let the pictures leave your phone. _  
_Oh oh. _

_Yeah, we'll be doing what we do. _  
_Just pretending that were cool so tonight. direction/live+while+were+young_ ] _  
_Lets go crazy, crazy, crazy till we see the sun. _  
_I know we've only met, but lets pretend it's love. _  
_And never, never, never stop for anyone. _  
_Tonight lets get some, and live while were young. _  
_Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh _  
_Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh _  
_Wanna live while were young. _  
_Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh _  
_Tonight let's get some, and live while were young. _

_And girl, you and I, were about to make some memories tonight. _

_I wanna live while were young. _  
_We wanna live while were young. _

_Lets go crazy, crazy, crazy till we see the sun. _  
_I know we've only met but lets pretend it's love. _  
_And never, never, never stop for anyone. _  
_Tonight lets get some, and live while were young. _  
_Crazy, crazy, crazy till we see the sun. _  
_I know we only met but lets pretend it's love. _  
_And never, never, never stop for anyone. _  
_Tonight lets get some, and live while were young. _

_Wanna live, wanna live, wanna live while were young. _  
_Wanna live, wanna live, wanna live while were young. _  
_Wanna live, wanna live, wanna live while were young. _

_Tonight let's get some. _

_And live while were young._

The four walked off the stage to party as other music played. Of course, Marshall Lee would have played more, but he only had one song. He walked over to the buffet table on the edge of the party and poured himself a glass of strawberry punch. Taffy walked up the him and grinned, "That was awesome."

He smiled back at her. Thinking for a moment, he said, "You wanna get away from here for a moment?" Draining the glass, he looked around. Everyone was still partying, and Marzipan was talking to Brad, about glob knew it was the Night-o-sphere; he was curious about that kind of stuff, but Marshall Lee wasn't sure.

"Yeah," Taffy replied with an even bigger grin. So much like Fionna.

Marshall Lee took her by the arms, and warned, "Don't scream or anything, just tell me when you want to go down, okay?" She nodded, and he floated them towards the waffle-cone towers of the Candy Castle, with her dangling from his arms. She didn't even look scared; a smile was on her face as she surveryed her party from up above. They landed on a tower and sat there.

Taffy wrapped her arms around her knees. "I think there's a star up there for every person." She looked up at the velvety night sky, her periwinkle eyes gleaming behind her glasses. The sky was dotted with stars that twinkled and shone like diamonds, only far better. She squinted at them, trying to look for the constellations she read about in her books. There weren't any, she thought. Maybe those stars died years ago, way back in the Great Mushroom War.

He heard what she said. And he thought about Fionna. He really missed her. A memory of the party she had on the roof of the tree fort, and one of the time they sang up on the balcony flashed through his mind. He wished she was here, she'd put her head on his shoulder when she felt sleepy, she's wake up and push herself away slightly with a blush.

"Hey, Marshall?" Taffy asked.

"Yeah?"

"This was the best birthday ever."

* * *

_Bahaha sorry it took so long. I've been lazy /shot (and emotional)_

_This is the longest chapter so far. Because of the song /shot again. Anyway, I was TIRED. School, you know. And it isn't even schoolwork, it's the Christmas Party. THE DANCES (LOTS OF THEM), THE ENTERTAINMENT AND GAMES, PLANNING FOR THE TREASURE HUNT CAUSE I'M IN THE ENTERTAINMENT COMMITTEE...It's killing me! _

_At least after Tuesday out vacay is coming up...then summer, only I don't want summer to come because, ya know, might be changing schools. *sigh*_

~AdventureTime104201


	7. Goodbye I: Sign of Trouble

A week after the party, the Candy Kingdom had managed to return everything to its normally spotless state, got rid of the all that confetti and the mess.

Marshall Lee and Taffy decided to take a trip to Lumpy Space for a slumber party that Lumpy Space Princess was throwing. Of course, Marshall lee hadn't wanted to go, really, but Taffy begged him to. "I'll be bored if you don't go," she whined, tugging at his shirt as he read the invitation. "All royals invited," it read at the bottom.

"Won't Ember be there?"

"Her parents won't let her," the princess replied, "and the other princesses that will be there won't be as fun as you two. And-" her voice dropped down suddenly "-I think that LSP maybe has a grudge on her for that time when she went to Lumpy Space and almost set fire to her thirteenth-birthday cake."

Marshall Lee groaned. "You sound just like a teenager, all gossipy and stuff." He floated lazily on his back in the air. "And if I have to deal with some of them at that dumb slumber party, I'd rather stay at home."

Taffy looked at him with puppy-dog eyes. "Pleeease," she said. "LSP's gonna flip out at me if I don't go, and you know how she gets around me, like we're best friends. And I promise I won't act like a teenager-I don't want to, anyway." She threw in a thick book and a flashlight into her backpack, to read when everyone was asleep...not that anyone would be sleeping much.

Marshall Lee paused. He didn't want to go._ But then again_, he thought, _when the time comes that I have to attend some dumb party, she's not gonna go with me as payback_. "Okay, fine, but you gotta promise not to give me a makeover or anything," he added, looking at her sternly.

Taffy nodded quickly, holding up both of her hands to show him no fingers were crossed.

"I cannot believe I am doing this," he muttered as he watched her zip up her bag and walk downstairs to wait for Lumpy Space Princess at the gates. He walked the way downstairs, following her. When they got there, they found that it was_ her_ waiting for _them_.

"Oh my glob, finally," the purple princess exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. In her right hand was a cell phone and dangling from that arm was a big shopping bag, and then took Taffy by the arm with her free hand.

Taffy winced and tried her best to hide it. She shot Marshall Lee a look that plainly said, "I'm going to regret this night."

Lumpy Space Princess followed her gaze and saw Marshall Lee, standing by the Candy Castle's doors with his umbrella, and suddenly changed. "Heeeeeey, cutie guy," she cooed, fluttering her lashes at him. She winked at him.

Marshall Lee flinched, resisting the urge to make a face. She acted like her grandfather, the Lumpy Space Prince he once met before at the Biennial Gumball Ball. Of course, they hadn't interacted much. The only time Marshall Lee remembered talking to him was when he was turned into a ghost and had to scare people to return back to normal. Lumpy Space Prince had said that Marshall Lee was gay. The memory of Fionna giggling at that flashed through his mind and he flinched again.

The three headed to the forest, and Lumpy Space Princess led them to a tree stump. A green frog with crosses for eyes croaked, "What's the password?"

"Whatevers2009!" the floating princess yelled.

"Good day. Are your parents okay with you bringing non-Lumpers in?"

Taffy wished they weren't okay with it.

"Duh they are," Lumpy Space Princess answered impatiently. "It's a lumping party!" The frog croaked curtly and sucked them in before Taffy and Marshall Lee knew what hit them.

The portal spat them out, and they landed on a cloud, but Lumpy Space Princess was still floating. She helped them up and put her fingers in her mouth then whistled loudly. A pink-tinted convertible that looked like it was made of a lumpy cloud pulled up. Lumpy Space Princess got in and motioned for them to sit in the backseat.

"There aren't any doors," Taffy protested, tapping the side gently with her knuckle.

"Just hop in."

Marshall Lee shrugged, but they followed nonetheless. They regretted it. Lumpy Space Princess was a careless driver, almost throwing Taffy out at one point. "T-thank glob for seatbelts," Taffy sighed when she recovered, clinging on to the seat the whole ride after that. Minutes later, LSP parked in front of her house.

Taffy stood up clumsily, her head pounding. "Never again," she muttered as she hoisted her backpack onto her shoulders and joined Lumpy Space Princess and Marshall Lee inside.

**o~O~o**

The popcorn was passed around the place as the movie's opening credits began to roll into the screen. Taffy reached for the bowl and took a handful, proceeding to pass it on to Ghost Prince. They were in LSP's spacious living room, all the sleeping bags rolled out and the pillows and blankets everywhere.

Most of them were already in their pajamas, including Taffy. Marshall Lee was in the corner, floating on his back, an uncomfortable look on his face.

The words "Heat Signature 2" flashed on the screen. Marshall Lee groaned inwardly. He'd seen all parts of Heat Signature. This was going to be a long night.

Suddenly, the phone rang from the hallway. "Ugh, glob it!" Lumpy Space Princess groaned, getting up from her air mattress and floating out.

"Taffy, it's for you!" Lumpy Space Princess yelled.

Raising an eyebrow, Taffy jumped up and headed for the phone, wondering what it was. "Hello?" she asked, twirling the cord round her finger nervously.

Peppermint Maid's high voice squeaked at the other end, almost cracking with worry. "Your Highness, you need to come back quick-your grandfather Gumball's horribly ill."

* * *

_Dun dun dun duuuun._

_Bah, sorry for the long wait. I've been enjoying slacking off. I've made miniatures, watched Bravest Warriors over and over again, and made a list of all my OC's. Speaking of Bravest Warriors, it's kinda unfair that doesn't have a category for it...well, it isn't a real show, it only shows up on YouTube, but it's epic nonetheless. Plus Pen Ward made it._

_LOL I found LSP flirting with Marshall Lee weird, but what the heck, ML is awesome. Also, I made all the royals' genders different. It would be kinda boring (and awkward for Marshall) if all the other royals were girls. _

~AdventureTime104201


	8. Goodbye II: Last Breath

The plain white room was silent except for the low hum of the machines that were Gumball's lifeline. He was just lying on the bed, and if there weren't all those tubes strapped to him and those monitors counting his heart beats, Taffy could almost pretend he was just asleep. Almost.

It turned out that a few hours after Taffy and Marshall Lee's departure, the elderly royal had gone to check on an experiment of his, the one that had gone wrong all those years ago. His supposedly substitute, Goliath, who he had hoped would continue to rule the Candy Kingdom long after he was gone, but it had turned out he had a foul temper, and so Gumball created another one, Stormy, to keep Goliath out of trouble. But Gumball went too close, and stray zaps from their stalemate had affected his brain badly, being a metal standstill.

They said he was having a stroke, maybe in a comatose. Or his brain just shut down suddenly, like that. Both experiments' third eyes held great powers, maybe even unknown to Gumball.

Doctor Sundae entered the room and Taffy took that as a cue to get out. She stole one last look at her unconscious grandfather as the doors swung closed.

Marshall Lee was in the waiting room. She wiped at her tears with the back of her hand and sniffed, practically ignoring the vampire as she headed to her room.

He was silent. First Fionna, and now maybe Gumball...

Of course, he and Gumball had met way before he and Fionna did, and even though they did fight a lot, he was still a friend.

_"That's it, I'm out of here!" Marshall Lee snapped._

_Gumball shot them a glare and went that way too, almost like he was already accepting the fact that they weren't going to get their stuff back. BMO stared up at him worriedly, but he didn't notice._

_"Oh, come on, Cake, everybody! We can beat the Door Lady...together," Fionna cried as she watched her friends walk away. _

Marshall Lee closed his eyes, this time allowing himself to remember. The day the Door Lady stole away their things, although he only tagged along. Fionna had patched some things up between Gumball and him. And since then, they didn't have as much fights as before. With a sigh, he got up and proceeded to head home.

**o~O~o**

Peppermint Maid brushed back Taffy's caramel hair. "He'll be okay, Sweetie, I promise." She handed the princess a glass of water that was merely stared at. Peppermint Maid was, for Taffy, more than a maid. For Taffy she was sort of like a big sister, and they both enjoyed each other's company though it didn't show much. But Peppermint Maid was always there for her.

"But-but what if he won't be?" Taffy said in a voice so small that it was almost inaudible. She loved her grandfather, really, even though Marzipan and her mother Caramel was just an experiment and that meant she also was, kind of. They treated each other like they were a real family. And they were. The candy citizens accepted them.

"Don't think like that," Peppermint Maid insisted. "Doctor Sundae's the best and your father's helping. Your grandfather will be alive and kicking before you know it."

"I hope so," Taffy sniffed, finally taking a sip of the water Peppermint Maid gave her.

And that was when a bell rang.

* * *

_Do feel free to hate me. Well, honestly, Gumball is a little old. Fionna died at about, idk, 70 years? So that makes PG about 85, plus the 80 years Marshall Lee hasn't returned...Oh my glob. Gumball is like, 165 years O.O_

_Gahhhh! My little cousin Marge got me into trouble. She took that little fake voodoo doll from my classroom's Halloween decors and showed it to her mom, who is very, very strict about that stuff. She doesn't even want anyone to suggest a Halloween party for Marge even if her birthday is a day before Halloween. I hate this._

_Anyways, Happy New Year to all of you guys!_

~AdventureTime104201


	9. Author's Note on the Changes

**Oh, about the little change in Going Back, I made it that way because I reviewed my storyline and found that the thing made almost no plot whatsoever *Yao Ming face*, so I decided to make it like Adventure Time itself; random adventures and whatnot. So basically it doesn't go in a straight line. Just...shorts thrown here and there. Because apparently I do not make whole stories, so I decided to only make them shorts that tell of Taffy and Marshall Lee. No, it is not a pairing **((hah, who ships them? I don't much, plus Taffy is only 13 and Marshall Lee is 18/1000+))**. They're friends.**

**Each "episode" consists of about three to four parts basically.  
**

**I didn't change anything much, only the chapter names, don't worry, and I'm redoing the prologue.**

~AdventureTime104201


	10. Goodbye III: Farewell Forever

Marshall Lee gloomily scanned the crowd that gathered in the cemetery, listening to the candy priest drone on with half an ear. Now the world turned duller and grayer than before. As if his not-exactly-best-friend had taken all the colors with him wherever people go when they die. Marshall Lee hadn't any idea where though, because religion had gone down with the Mushroom War, but he was sure that there was a place.

His mother and friends were right about the problem of befriending and being attached to mortals. He was immortal, they died and he lived. And that was what he hated most about being a vampire. He had been stubborn. He had went off into Aaa, met Fionna and Cake and Gumball and became their friend, and now it ended up like this. He had heard once about that saying, "Don't cry because it ended; smile because it happened."

But how could he? It was almost impossible, smiling when a person you loved, or in Marshall Lee's case, the only person you had ever cared about so much, dies.

The pain of losing Fionna hadn't even faded yet, only a bit that was almost nothing. And now Gumball's death, even though Marshall Lee called him "Gum-butt" and teased him for being such a nerd, returned the pain that was almost lost. The wounds turned fresh once again.

Taffy stood by her parents in front of the grave, the spot where her dear grandfather was buried under. All of three of them dressed in black. Everyone in the dressed in black. Some princes and princesses came to visit, even the old Flame Prince. The Lumpy Space Royals were trying their hardest to be quiet, but LSP was blabbering away into her cellphone at full speed. Marshall Lee scowled in their direction.

Taffy was in front of the long line of the visitors who wanted to say a few words, in private, just for Gumball. She cleared her throat. "H-hi Grandfather...I miss you already, a l-lot. But we'll still be together, we'll see each other a-again," she whispered, choking down the sob that threatened to escape her throat and stop her from talking for the last time to her grandfather. "I love you."

Caramel and Marzipan came over and hugged her, leading her back to the seats where she sat quietly and moved only to wipe away the tears in her eyes every once in a while.

She couldn't believe he was gone, gone permanently. He was her grandfather, the person who created her parents and therefore made her. To Taffy, he was her family. Her best friend. And now that he wasn't coming back ever, she felt hollow and empty. No more grandfather to tell her stories about the famed heroine of Aaa, Fionna; no more Gumball to tell her to keep trying when she failed at an experiment. Yes, her parents were always there for her, but the bond with her and her grandfather was strong. She gazed distractedly at the line that waited to talk to her grandfather.

Marshall Lee, however, was unsure of what to say. But there were candy people waiting behind him, so he figured he'd better make it quick. "Hey, Gumball." He paused for a moment to think, then continued, "Taffy and everyone in the Candy Kingdom, maybe even Aaa is pretty upset about you...leaving. Duh. She loves you a lot...And say hello to Fionna for me, if you two see each other." The last sentence came out unexpectedly, and he felt another stab of pain in his chest, one that he had grown so used to. But still, it hurt every time. He walked away from the coffin and stood beside the entrance as he watched the candies come and go.

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. It had started to drizzle, not much, but just little spatters of rain. How typical, he thought numbly as his eyes moved upwards towards the dark sky. A few candy people took out their umbrellas, but Taffy had refused to, as he saw from his spot.

When the funeral ended, everyone left. All except for the vampire and the candy princess, and the latter moved in front of the grave. "Taffy," he began, and then paused. What could he say? 'Don't worry, you'll see him again when you die and go up there with him, so it'll be okay'? And again, he felt another stab of pain, maybe worse than the others. Glob, how could he forget? Taffy was mortal too. And like Fionna, she'd die, and he'd have to go over the same thing over and over and over and over again...

All he could do was remain silent as Taffy cried by her grandfather's grave.

* * *

_GLOB IT THE CHAPTERS ARE TOO SHORT FOR MY LIKING. Never mind, I'm back! From vacation and from slacking. The vacay was great, although I have a feeling we'd be having a lot of homework. *sigh* I'm not even done with the projects from last week. And I'm feeling sleepy, my right ear feels like it's stuffed with tissue because of the plane ride.__I'd better get back to normal soon._

_Oh, and to all the reviews and faves, thank you guys. It means a lot._

~AdventureTime104201


	11. Simone, Ice Queen I: Found in the Attic

Boxes were stacked messily, most of them falling apart. It wasn't a surprise. The last time anyone had been here was a century ago. Of course, nobody other than Marshall Lee really went inside the attic anyway, and he didn't like being in it. His hair almost brushed the ceiling when he wasn't floating, and it was

horribly dusty, cobwebs in almost every corner.

It desperately had to be cleaned, which was what he was going to do now.

Marshall Lee grimaced as a big black spider glared at him through beady crimson eyes. He had to get rid of them before the webs if he didn't want to get attacked. Spiders nowadays were fiercer than ever. He raised the sprayer and aimed. He had just pressed down when it jumped at him, clinging to his grey jacket with hairy limbs. He hissed, swatting at it. No, he didn't have arachnophobia, but since that one time when he was bit, resulting in red blisters and a very itchy hand for a few days, he had stayed away from spiders, poisonous or not.

He then sprayed at the insect, which writhed furiously, hissing, and dropped to the the floor. Marshall Lee made a face, picking the dead thing by a leg and promptly flinging it out the window. Luckily, there were only about three left, and not as bad as that one. He got rid of them quickly, and sighed when he realized he had a lot more work to do.

The cobwebs weren't that easy to get rid of. They were stickier than he had thought and he had to wear gloves to rip them off the wall, frowning as they stuck to the gloves. Ugh. He'd have to throw them out, and luckily though, he had other gloves. "Glob it," he muttered as he dumped the mess into the trash bin he had brought with him. He took off the gloves and looked around at the boxes. Maybe there would be something interesting in them, but he hadn't an idea what.

The first one he came across were only old scraps of paper. and string. Nothing much. But the second, a worn old shoebox, were a complete surprise: Simone, or rather, the former Ice Queen's video diaries from the War.

He sifted through the contents. Three cassette tapes; a notebook filled with tiny handwriting. He picked it up and a loose page fluttered from it, ink smudged and paper flimsy and yellowed at the edges. He squinted his eyes to read it. The way the writing was stained with blotches, it almost was like the person who wrote it was crying.

_Benny, _

_Please don't leave me. I don't know what I did or whatever happened. Honestly. I think it's the tiara. It must have made me go crazy. I know you will not believe me, think I'm making this all up, but I'm not. I have no idea, no memory after putting it on, only the shock on your face after I got my senses back. Please Benjamin, I love you._

_ -Simone_

Marshall Lee blinked. Who was she talking about, and what was that about going crazy? Why was he leaving her anyway? "I love you." The last line made some sense. Maybe...maybe they were all girlfriend-boyfriend or something, and they broke up? Wait. The tiara..."made me go crazy"...

"She was a human?" he asked aloud. This thing, Ice Queen's past, was seriously confusing. "Okay, so they were probably dating, she wore that tiara of hers, and...and maybe that's why she's gone mad now. And then he left her?"

He decided to play the tapes. Those would probably give him a clue. He had a faint memory of those things from before the War, but he didn't remember how to use it. He racked his brains, trying to think of some way to use the darned things. His thoughts drifted to the tree fort, and then wandered for a moment. Fionna and him playing Card Wars, cans of soda on the floor, and video games. Video games. BMO!

**o~O~o**

"I have...I have no memory...of you."

He sighed. "BMO, look, just play the globbing tapes. When I finish all three of them, I'll leave you alone to rust in this place, if that's what you want to keep doing."

The pale green screen switched to its normal face and the computer laughed. "I remember you, Marshall Lee. My memory is infinite." There was a little bit of relief on the vampire's face. He took the cassette in the pale hand and giggled, "This goes in my butt."

Marshall made a little face, but didn't pay much attention. This whole mystery of Ice Queen's past had got him interested, and usually there wasn't any backing down for him once he got something started.

And after several seconds of static noise, an image started to appear. Fuzzy at first, and then in seconds it began to clear, displaying the whole thing on BMO's little face.

And immediately, every bad memory from when he was a kid returned to him. He knew that scene too well-broken automobiles, fires in the distance, the dark gray sky that had little, almost no sun shining through, ruins of buildings, broken glass and ash and wood and material scattered everywhere, and the total destruction of what used to be the Earth.

It was the Great Mushroom War.

* * *

_Been a while, no?/punched. I've been busy. Two Quiz Bees some days ago, six tests tomorrow, and straight after that I have to review and study for the National Achievement Test coming up. Ugh, school, give us a break. So today in school I racked my brains, watched some reruns of old eps at home with my cousinsthen Holly Jolly Secrets came back to me. _

_ Agh. Does anyone else realize how "studying" has the word "dying" at the end of it?_

~AdventureTime104201


End file.
